Damper spacer for use with bundle conductors

ABSTRACT

A damper spacer for use with bundle conductors comprises a hollow box-shaped main body and as many arm members as conductors. Each of the arm members, fixing at its outer end a conductor grasping member rigidly mounting a conductor, is introduced into the box-shaped main body at its inner end so that between the outer surface of the inner end of the respective arm members and the inner surface of the boxlike main body there is provided a space having any desired configuration into which space is disposed an elastic body so that the respective arm member is held elastically with respect to the main body.

United States Patent Inventor Masashi Kobayshi Kawasaki, Japan Appl. No. 872,116

Filed Oct. 29, 1969 Patented Mar. 2, 1971 Assignee Asahi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha Kawasaki, Japan DAMPER SPACER FOR USE WITH BUNDLE CONDUCTORS Primary Examiner-Laramie E. Askin Att0rney Wenderoth, Lind and Ponack ABSTRACT: A damper spacer for use with bundle conductors comprises a hollow box-shaped main body and as many arm members as conductors. Each of the arm members, fixing at its outer end a conductor grasping member rigidly mounting a conductor, is introduced'into the box-shaped main body at its inner end so that between the outer surface of the inner end of the respective arm members and the inner surface of the boxlike main body there is provided a space having any desired configuration into which space is disposed an elastic body so that the respective arm member is held elastically with respect to the main body.

PATENTEDHAR 2|97l MASASHI KO BAYASIII DAMPER SPACER FOR USE WITH BUNDLE CONDUCTORS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a spacer for use with bundle conductors, and more particularly to a damper spacer for use with bundle conductors which is able not only to constantly maintain the conductor-to-conductor spacing, but also to damp the oscillations generated on the conductors.

A spacer for bundle conductors in which a connecting member connects as'many conductor grasping members as the number of the conductors is hitherto well known in the art.

The present invention pertains to .an improvement in a spacer for use with bundle conductors of this kind.

SUMMARY OF THE'INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a spacer for use with bundle conductors which is able not only to perform the proper function of a conventional spacer that maintains predetermined distance between the adjoining two conductors and restores the twisting of the respective conductors, but also to prevent the oscillations generated on the respective conductors.

A further object object of the present invention is to provide a damper spacer for use with bundle conductors which has a simple construction and yet is effective in damping-the oscillations generated on the respective conductors.

The damper spacer for use with bundle conductors according to the present inventioncomprises a hollow box-shaped main body and arm'members equivalent in number to the conductors, whose respective inner ends are positioned in said hollow box-shaped main body, and in cooperation with the surrounding inner surface, of the main body, from spaces to hold elastic bodies, and whose respective outer ends are pivoted to conductor grasping members which rigidly mount respective conductors, whereby said elastic bodies are disposed within .said spaces so that the peripheries thereof come into contact with the outer periphery of the inner portion of said arm members and the inner side surfaces of said main body, and elastically hold said arm members with respect to said main body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING These and other objects of this invention will become more readily apparent from the following specification and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an embodiment of the present invention, partially broken away;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the damper spacer shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of an embodiment of an arm member associated with the damper spacer according to the present invention shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the arm member shown in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. 14 of the drawing, there is shown an embodiment of a damper spacer for use with a bundle conductor according to the present invention as applied to four conductors. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not restricted to use for four conductors as shown in the FIGS. as it can also be applied to a number of conductors other than four, e.g., two or six or more conductors.

As shown in FIG. 1, a connector 1, located -at.the center of the four conductors W,, W W and W is connected thereto through four conductor grasping members 21, 22,23 and 24 respectively and four arm'members 11, 12, 13 and 14 respectively. The arm members protrude radially from the centrally located box-shaped main body 2 of said connector 1, their external ends being pivoted to said conductor grasping members 21,22, 23 and 24 respectively.

Though the main body 2 of the connector 1 and the arm members 11, 12, 13 and 14 can be designed in various shape, in the case where a damper spacer is especially designed for four conductors as in the present embodiment, the main body 2 is preferable to be shaped as substantially a square box, and the arm members are composed of identical rodlike members with each of their inner ends being adapted to be disposed within the main body 2 through slots 5, 6, 7 and 8 in the middle of the respective sides of the main body. Arm members ll, l2, l3 and 14 protrude radially outwardly through the slots 5, 6, 7 and 8, respectively. I

Each of the arm members ll, l2, l3 and 14 has its inner end shaped so as to have a shape that the apex of an isosceles triangle T is connected to one corner of a square S as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Then, when each of inner ends 15, 16, 17 and 18 of the arm members l1, 12, 13 and 14 is interposed within the main body 2 having a square inside face as shown in FIG. 1, they form a narrow cross-shaped space 9 at the central portion of the main body 2 by their respective opposing sides of the squares S. Simultaneously, four identically shaped pentagonal spaces 10 are formed at respective corners of the main body 2 by the adjoining two sides thereof, the pair of opposing sides of the isosceles triangles T and the aligning sides of the squares S each formed at the inner ends 15, 16 17 and 18 of the adjoining arm members 11,112, 13 and 14.

Accordingly, when an elastic body 20 having an outer configuration conforming to the respective pentagonal-spaces 10 is interposed within the space 10 so that the outer periphery of the elastic body 20 comes into contact with each side of the pentagon, the respective arm members l1, 12, 13 and 14 are elastically held with respect to the inside surfaces of the main body 2 by the elasticity of the elastic bodies 20. In FIG. 1, the elastic body 20 is shown as acircular tube made of vibration insulating rubber or the like having a rather larger periphery than that of the space 10 and is introduced within the pentagonal space 10 after being compressed. It will "be appreciated that the elastic body is not limited to ashape as described above and shown in FIG. 1, but it may be an elastic body having a C-shaped cut or a solid egg-shaped elastic body instead-of'being hollow. The material of the elastic body 20 is also not limited to rubber, and an elastic body such as a leaf spring formed with a curved metallic material can be used. A coil spring may be also used when the space is appropriate for its use.

The conductor grasping members 21, 22, 23 and 24 for mounting the connector 1 on the conductors W W W and W can have any suitable construction, In FIG. 1, each of the members is shown to have identical construction. Between a pair of halves 25, 25 of each of the grasping members the conductor is rigidly grasped at the conductor receiving portion 26, 26 formed at the outer ends thereof when they are fastened together by a bolt 27 passed through the holes each drilled at their central portions and a nut 28. A cocoon-shaped pin 29 is supported in the conductor grasping halves 25, 25 at their inner ends by the pins 30, 30 each protruding outwardly along the longitudinal axis of the cocoon-shaped pin 29. The cocoon-shaped pin 29 swingably supports the respective arm members 11, 12, 13 and 14 through a bearing hole 31 (see FIG. 3) formed at their outer ends. The damper spacer for bundle conductors according to the present invention has a construction as stated above. Next the operation of the damper spacer will be explained in more detail.

The conductors are elastically held in place by the arm members l1, 12, 13 and 14 with respect to the connector 1, because the inner ends l5, 16, 17 and 18 of the arm members 11, 12, 13 and 14 are elastically held within the main body 2 of the connector 1 by the respective elastic bodies 20 as stated above. When there occurs a relative displacement between the conductors due to any external force applied thereon, the arm members displace relative to the main body 2 to deform the shape of he space 10 so that the elastic bodies 20 are correspondingly elastically deformed, which results in the elastic restoring of the conductors when the external forceapplied on them is released. The oscillations of the conductors also cause elastic deformation of the elastic bodies 20. However these oscillations are absorbed by the internal frictions caused in the material of the elastic bodies and are effectively damped. Thus the damper spacer for bundle conductors according to the present invention functions not only to maintain the predetermined distances between the adjoining conductors, but also to damp the oscillations of the conductors when they occur.

While only a single preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed, it will be understood that this is l. A damper spacer for use with bundle conductors comprising a hollow box-shaped mainbody connector having a square configuration; as many arm members as the conductors, each outer end of said arm members being pivotally connected to a conductor grasping member rigidly mounting the respective conductors and each of the inner ends of the said arm members protruding radially through the middle of the respective sides of said main body, said inner ends having a configuration formed by the combination of an isosceles triangle and a square so that when said arm members are combined with said boxlike main body there are formed identically shaped substantially pentagonal spaces between the outer surfaces of the inner ends of said arm members and the inside of said main body; and elastic bodies disposed in each of said spaces. so that each of said arm members is elastically held with respect to said main body.

2. A damper spacer for use with bundle conductors as set forth in claim 1 wherein said elastic bodies are circular tubes. 

1. A damper spacer for use with bundle conductors comprising a hollow box-shaped main body connector having a square configuration; as many arm members as the conductors, each outer end of said arm members being pivotally connected to a conductor grasping member rigidly mounting the respective conductors and each of the inner ends of the said arm members protruding radially through the middle of the respective sides of said main body, said inner ends having a configuration formed by the combination of an isosceles triangle and a square so that when said arm members are combined with said boxlike main body there are formed identically shaped substantially pentagonal spaces between the outer surfaces of the inner ends of said arm members and the inside of said main body; and elastic bodies disposed in each of said spaces so that each of said arm members is elastically held with respect to said main body.
 2. A damper spacer for use with bundle conductors as set forth in claim 1 wherein said elastic bodies are circular tubes. 